Professionals Can Learn New Product Development Skills from 15-Week Class

Photo Submitted

ROGERS, Ark. – Professionals can register online for a 15-week certificate program to learn marketing skills and new product development from faculty and experts inside classrooms at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas in spring 2016.

Walton College and the Global Campus partnered to offer the 15-week professional development class “Lessons in Category Management – New Product Development” to area professionals. Classes are set from 6 to 8:45 p.m. Mondays from Jan. 25 through May 9.

Participants can register online. The cost is $799, but U of A faculty, staff, students and Alumni Association members receive a 10 percent discount.

This high-speed, 15-week deep dive into real-world new project development will engage participants in problem-solving, scenario-marketing analysis and strategy formation.

The class will be taught by Sue Sedberry, managing director of the Walton Retail Lab, and Tim O’Brien, vice president of IRI–Walmart Team Lead, as well as more than a dozen subject matter experts from local suppliers. Coursework capitalizes on an experiential model to ensure authentic learning transfer and successful project outcomes.

Successful participants will receive a certificate of completion from the Global Campus and Walton College. They must attend at least 80 percent of the classes, complete all in- and out-of-class assignments, and score 80 percent or better on their final presentations.

Participants will learn how to position themselves as product innovators and be introduced to various aspects of data, analysis and strategy decision-making along the consumer path to purchase. Participants will work in groups of similarly situated professionals to develop a new product concept and make fact-based strategic decisions in many key areas to bring the product concept to market and sell it to a group of potential investors via a group presentation.

After completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand how to identify and analyze new product potential
• Evaluate pricing, promotion, assortment, launch strategies and promotion planning for a new item
• Identify potential consumers for your product and learn how to find them
• Speak the “language” of retailing, articulating the benefits and profit potential of your product
• Create a fact-based sales story using industry data, shared knowledge and tools

For information about this course, contact Sue Sedberry at ssedberry@walton.uark.edu or 479-575-3621.

Learn more about other workforce development opportunities by visiting the Global Campus Rogers website or calling 855-402-3300.

About the Global Campus: The Global Campus supports U of A colleges and schools in the development and delivery of online, distance and workforce education programs and courses. It provides instructional design services, technology services and assistance with marketing, recruiting and strategic academic development.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.